A Tribute to

Clifford Dean Davis (May 25, 1926 - August 21, 2013)

Narrative by Cinita (Davis) Brown and Lee Guthery; layout by Ken Brown. Materials from the authors’ collections as well as from the late Evelyn Sanders (wife of Virgil Sanders) and Janie Guthery McMullin. Several photos were scanned in December 2008 from Dean’s own collection.

by Cinita (Davis) BrownLee GutheryKen Brown

1 of 7

At right, Edna Mae and Dean with Charles in the fall of 1949

trader, specializing in trading and buying farms and horses; so Anna and the kids never knew what farm they would be living on. But one thing was constant: the Davis family always had a herd of milk cows, and those cows had to be milked regularly. By the time Dean was six years old, he was milking some of those cows, a practice that he continued until he left home in 1944 to serve his country in World War II. Thus, at an early age, Dean and his siblings learned how to work. Along with establishing good work ethics, they learned the value of a dollar. They also learned the value of family life; this was taught by example. Dean remarked to Lee Guthery in 2010, “Dad worked all of us kids, worked us hard, but he was al-ways good to us.” As he made this remark, Dean re-called how hot one could get sitting on a milk-stool with a barn full of cows swinging their tails. (Those of us who can remember this milking experience also recall the cows’ tails were often full of cockleburs.) During these years, Dean was not only involved in milking the cows; he often was the “milk-man,” or should we say the “milk-boy,” because he was so young. You see, he also bottled the milk and sold it in Ava and the adjoining areas. Dean lived in the family home and helped work the family farm until August of 1944 when he received his “Order to Report for Induction.” (See following page). After his induction into the U.S. Army, Dean was sent to Fort Riley, Kansas, for his basic training. Co-incidentally, this was the same place where his father, Enoch Davis, had been sent for his training for World War I. Dean was assigned to the 1st Battalion 5th Cavalry Regiment and served in the Pacifi c. His fi rst service was in the Philippines, and then he was sent to Japan about the time the war ended in 1945. An article published in the June 11, 1946, issue of the Douglas County Herald gives a brief summation of his service: (See page 4) On August 13, 1945, Dean’s regiment was alerted that they were selected to accompany General Doug-las MacArthur to Tokyo and would be part of the 8th Army in the occupation of Japan. The long convoy of ships left the Philippines and steered into the Ameri-can-occupied port of Yokohama. In the early morning of September 2, 1945, General Douglas MacArthur, delegates of the Allied Powers, senior U.S. mili-tary offi cers, and media representatives boarded the ships—the U.S.S. Nicholas, the U.S.S. Buchanan, and

Clifford Dean Davis, known as “Dean,” was born May 25,

1926. He moved to his heavenly home on August 21, 2013, at the age of 87. Dean was the third of six chil-dren born to Enoch and Anna (Gun-nels) Davis. He is survived by all fi ve of his siblings who range in ages from 74 to 92. They are Eula Camp-bell, Clifton Davis, Maxine Rosseau, Glenda Scott, and Bill Davis. Dean’s parents, Enoch Davis (dressed in his World War I uniform) and pretty, seven-teen-year-old Anna Gunnels met in the early summer of 1920 and were married on August 12, 1920. Both Enoch and Anna were out of old pioneer Douglas and Ozark County families (Davis, Herndon, Piland, Gun-nels, Johnston, and Johnson). Enoch and Anna spent their entire lives on various farms in Douglas Coun-ty rearing their six children. Enoch was known as a

Dean in Mrs. Uhlmann’s 2nd Grade

Class at Ava

1922 -- Enoch & Annie (Gunnels) Davisholding, Eula, Dean’s older sister

2 of 7

3 of 7

Dean told his family, “You’ve seen this ceremony on television where the peace treaty with Japan was signed on board the U.S.S. Missouri. I was right there. I wasn’t any farther than 200 yards from the U.S.S. Missouri. I was on another ship, but I could see the group as they signed the peace treaty. Probably 150 ships were in the

harbor. That was a BIG day!” After his service in the Army, Dean returned to the family farm. In 1948, a certain young lady caught his eye. This young lady had an ear that was trained to hear square dance music from a mile away, and she danced her way right into young Dean Davis’ heart. Her name was Edna Mae Schuler; and on October 16, 1948, Dean and Edna Mae were married at Mountain Home, Arkansas, by Rev. George Johnson. In August of 1949, Dean and Edna Mae welcomed their fi rst son, Charles Dean “Charlie,” into their home. As the years rolled by, four more children were also wel-comed into the Davis home: Donald Gene “Don” in 1950, Robert David “Bob” in 1952, and fi nally two daughters—Cynthia Mae “Cindy” in 1961, and Cathy Jo in 1971. As the years rolled by, Dean became the proud grandfather of thirteen grandchildren and six great-grandchildren. Dean and Edna continued living on the family farm where he was involved in raising both dairy and beef cattle. Dean was also actively involved in community service. He served for many years on the Ava School Board, and he was a board member and actively involved in the work of the Douglas County Agricultural Stabiliza-tion and Conservation Department. Dean’s opinion was respected by the residents of the Ava area. This was illustrated by the brief notice

the U.S.S. Taylor. Dean was on one of these ships. The ships steamed out into Tokyo Bay where the U.S.S. Missouri was anchored. General MacArthur and the other dignitaries disembarked and boarded the U.S.S. Missouri. Likewise, Japan’s delegates boarded the U.S.S. Missouri, and by 9:00 a.m. the surrender ceremonies were underway.

4 of 7

he placed in the June 28, 1990, issue of the Douglas County Herald. Undoubtedly, many people saw this and thought, “Dean Davis is a good businessman. He knows our area and our needs. If he is against the Natural Streams Act, then I think I should be too.” Dean loved the outdoors and the beauty of the Ozark hills and streams, was an avid hunter, and loved fi shing. He also loved spending time with his family, playing pitch, and square dancing. When his knees forced him to give up dancing, he remarked, “I can still enjoy the music and tap my foot.” Dean and Edna celebrated their 50th anniversary on October 16, 1998. On August 6, 2003, Edna lost her battle with cancer. She was buried in the Ava Cem-etery near her oldest son, Charles Dean, who lost his life in an auto accident in 1970. Dean was a Christian and a member of the Ava General Baptist Church with the Rev. Oren Alcorn as his pastor. Both Dean and Oren descend from the Norris/Piland/Davis families who established the fi rst General Baptist Church that was built west of the Mis-sissippi River. Dean’s grandfather, John Davis, and Oren’s great-grandmother, Nancy “Nan” (Davis) Wil-lard, were brother and sister. Truly as family members, as a community, and as a church family, we can say, “Our loss is Heaven’s gain.”

Dean’s Community Involvement

5 of 7

Photos from

Dean Davis’

Photo Box

6 of 7

Dean and Edna Mae

7 of 7